Munster and Ireland fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief with the news that Paul O’Connell will see out his playing days in Ireland, but the future for his secondrow partner isn’t quite so clear.
The former Lions captain had put the cat amongst the pigeons by stating last month that not playing abroad was one regret he had from his career, but told the media at the Ireland camp that he hopes to see out his days at Munster, with his contract due to expire at the end of the current campaign.
“I think with Jonny (Sexton) having left last year I think if you mention France in any interview in any sentence it becomes a big topic for discussion,” he told RTÉ.
“But yeah I hope I’ll finish my career with Munster.”
The future for his colleague Ryan is a little more unclear however. Like O’Connell, he is out of contract at the end of the season and Munster have confirmed he visited Perpignan at the weekend over the possibility of a move to the Top 14 side, but Rob Penney is still confident he will reain in Ireland.
“As a young man with a lot of experience, obviously he is looking to potentially spread his wings, so who knows?” the head coach said.
“Look, Donnacha, we know, is involved in contractual discussions and that can take on all all sorts of pathways. We would, however, be very hopeful Donnacha would re-commit to Irish and Munster rugby.”
Great news on O’Connell, but the IRFU will be busy over the coming months trying to tie down the likes of Ryan and Conor Murray to longer-term deals.
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